Jeep unveils first-ever Grand Cherokee plug-in electric SUV

DETROIT – Jeep on Wednesday unveiled its first-ever Grand Cherokee plug-in hybrid as it attempts to pivot its SUVs from gas guzzlers to “green” vehicles.  

The new 2022 Grand Cherokee 4xe has an estimated 25 miles of all-electric range before switching to a four-cylinder turbocharged engine to power the vehicle. It will complete a new family of redesigned Grand Cherokee SUVs when it arrives in dealer showrooms early next year.

“The Jeep Grand Cherokee is our global flagship and will be leading the Jeep brand into a new era of premium refinement, innovative technology, advanced 4×4 capability and electrification,” Jeep CEO Christian Meunier said in a statement.

A new three-row version of the Grand Cherokee went on sale earlier this year. A traditional two-row model offering V-6 and V-8 internal combustion engines is expected to arrive in U.S. showrooms in the fourth quarter. All of the new fifth-generation Grand Cherokee SUVs feature a redesigned interior and exterior.

Jeep says the Grand Cherokee 4xe combines two electric motors, a 400-volt battery pack and a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged engine to produce 375 horsepower and 470 foot-pounds of torque. Its overall driving range is estimated at more than 440 miles once fully charged and filled with gas, with an EPA-expected rating of 57 MPG-equivalent.

The 2022 Grand Cherokee 4xe will be the second plug-in hybrid electric vehicle for Jeep in the U.S. It will join a Wrangler plug-in hybrid electric that went on sale earlier this year.

Pricing for the two-row 2022 Grand Cherokee, including the 4xe, was not announced. Starting pricing for the three-row version ranges from about $39,000 to $65,000.

Jeep is expected to be a key part of growth and electrification plans for Stellantis, its new parent company formed earlier this year through the merger of Fiat Chrysler and French automaker Groupe PSA. The company is investing at least $35.5 billion (30 billion euros) in electric vehicles and supporting technologies through 2025.

Meunier has said every new Jeep will offer some form of electrification in the next few years. Those plans are expected to include all-electric vehicles as well as hybrid and PHEVs that combine electrification with internal combustion engines such as the Grand Cherokee and Wrangler 4xe models.

Jeep is expected to offer its first all-electric vehicle in 2023. Earlier this year, it unveiled an all-electric concept version of its Wrangler SUV called “Magneto.”